Clinton to returns to Sri Lanka, Indonesia to coordinate Tsu

Washington, D.C., 19 November (Asiantribune.com): Former United States president Bill Clinton in his current capacity as the United Nations Special Envoy for Tsunami Recovery is scheduled to visit Sri Lanka on November 29 and Indonesia’s Aseh Province the following day to assess the status of the recovery of both these worst devastated nations due to last December tsunami.

In both Sri Lanka and Indonesia, Clinton will meet with affected communities with a focus on assessing the ongoing progress of the recovery efforts including shelter concerns, restoring livelihood, the role of the private sector in the recovery effort, and building the capacity of governmental institutions.

President Clinton will then leave for Brussels, Belgium on December 1 to report back to the European Commission and discuss ongoing needs in the recovery effort and coordination between the European Commission and other key players.

This will be his second tour to the South Asian region as UN Special Envoy for Tsunami Recovery. From May 27 through May 30 this year, Clinton toured the tsunami affected areas in south India, Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Indonesia.

As Special Envoy, Clinton has already convened various meetings with senior representatives of the UN, the World Bank, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the private sector in the U.S. and Europe. His visit to the region to gather first hand information helped the donors to formulate a time table for the recovery and identify critical areas that needed most assistance.